So I was talking to a Parliamentarian

Sometime during the thanksgiving weekend extravaganzas, I found myself at the goodbye party for my dear friend and neighbor. As a dynamic international, naturally she had a lineup of multicultural/multilingual guests that would make Kofi Annan blush.

At one point I’m introduced to a very charming young couple. At first he spoke Portuguese to me and explained that he’d studied and lived there. Then his partner engaged me in conversation and we got into the topic of what the Netherlands is doing wrong/ what bothers me about life in this country. I was initially surprised by her curiousity, she pressed me to give specific points and seemed to feed off every point I brought up. So I gave her my grand list:

  1. Health Insurance: No one in this country, including the government people who wrote the plan, understand the new health insurance system they passed which will take effect in January. Its a big step towards privatization, and as she pointed out — there will suddenly be Dutch citizens without health insurance.
  2. Cars: They’ll complain forever about the traffic in this country, but everyone keeps buying cars and wanting more cars. You always hear about how much they ride their bikes, but the fact is, inside and outside the cities, Dutch people love owning cars and don’t want to be slowed by pesky subjects like pollution.
  3. Temp Employment: You know where I stand on this one. Its the fastest growing employer in the country and its not really an employer and in the long-run, skrews everyone.

But here’s the kicker. After having this great conversation, the couple says goodbye as they have to leave. Later my friend comes over and asks, “So did you enjoy meeting your first Dutch Parliamentarian?”

I was speechless, I’d been going on and on, point by point about what policies were mistakes, and as it turns out, I was talking to someone with a very big say in all that (Green Party). And she seemed to love hearing my take… even agreed on many points. Small town, this Amsterdam.

bicyclemark84: Justice Ain’t This Blind

You’ve heard a few things about Stanley Williams from a scattered few media sources, now hear more about the man and the case, the details the media ignores.

AudioCommunique #84(mp3)
31min+, 80kbps, 17Mb+

Discussed:

Tookie Williams on Wikipedia, the entry Ive been fighting to fix
Mumia on Torture
South Central LA in the 70’s
The orgins of the crips and why they were formed
The case against Tookie, the paid witnesses, the contradictory experts
The other suspect and the drugging of prisoners in the LA system
The clemency “discovery”request (88 pages)
The response from the LAPD and State (both the discovery and the response are available on the wikipedia links for the above mentioned Tookie entry)
Film about Tookie starring Jamie Foxx –Redemption
How the critics see it
The achievements and actions of Tookie as a global activist
Nevermind where you are on death penatly. Never mind if you like the man or believe him. The question is — is there something wrong about this case? Are there doubts and examples of negligence?
Credit to Yeast Radio, Mikeypod, and DemocracyNow

Music:

Gil Scott-Heron – Billy Green is Dead
Johnny Cash – San Quentin
Dr. Dre – Death Row
Bloc Party – The Price
Talib Kweli, featuring Res – Where do we Go?
Iron & Wine with Calexico – Prison on Route 41

Bloggers at my Dinner Table

Actually there weren’t any tonight, not as far as I know. I still can’t write straight, and one more night of the gobble gobble awaits. Not that I’ve touched a single gobble gobble in the last 48 hours or 7 years really, it’s more of a symbolism. As I sat at Thanksgiving dinner numero deux this evening, one of the other guests was describing how and why she liked dark meat of the turkey better. No big deal, I remember how to communicate carnivore-style.

But since its 3am and I don’t really work tomorrow, I wanted to speak of this holiday and the bloggers I love to share it with. Meaning– there are certain blogs that are traditionally my favorites at this time of year, over the last couple of years. Which is why, for starters, I emailed xTx to send some love. When she’s home for the horrid-days, insanely wonderous poetry oozes from her fingers, among other orafaces.

And of course I also enjoy reading the man who sometimes ends up at a pub instead of thanksgiving dinner, mr thestateimin himself. He did, mind you, make it to relative’s house this year.

Finally, no thanksgivinin would be complete for me, without the BitchPhD and her mouse loving pseudononymous kid.

Course I read over a hundred blogs and love many of them, but these three have been thanksgiving staples for a long time, and are now part of my holiday ritual. Thanks my friends!

Turfurkia Nederland

I’d love to talk shop, but here in the Amsterdam the international community is actually very into Turkey Day festivities. For myself the marathon begins today with Thanksgivin dinner at Toronto’s most famous chef in exile’s home. Canadian, and yet he’s cookin up a storm in honor of the great myth that pilgrims and native americans actually sat down and had food together.

Mañana its some mysterious thanksgivin day-2 action with a whole collection of americans who I don’t know. It’s always fun to attend an expat dinner when you know hardly a soul, plus I heard it’s catered and all I’ve got to do is bake a pumpkin pie. Incedently, thanks to the help of my darling, the artist formerly known as frisbee girl, I can hereby bake a pumpkin pie. It’s not gluten free, but she and I had a grand ol’ time bakin one up for the festivus, and we’ll soon expand to pecan.

To round it all off it’s Tofurkey at crazy doctor M’s apartment on Saturday night. I hear it’s a POT-LUCK which in this town, makes perfect sense.

It may pale in comparison to the wonderful turkey days we have back in new jersey, with all the delicious foods that only a portuguese-american family can cook up. But still, over here in the low countries, we do alright.

Rush Haunts Me

You’ve probably got a friend who likes Rush. I’m sure you have to think for a second, cause maybe you haven’t seen him in a while (and its definitely a HIM) but he was that good friend who was wonderfully intelligent and lived in what often seemed to be his own world… a world where Rush was the greatest band of all time and the lyrics and music of their songs could answer all of life’s questions.

For me it’s one of my greatest friends ever, who’s doing well, back in my beloved New Jersey. When I met him in high school, I can remember being in the outfield during softball games and just over from my position in right field… there he is in right-center… singing the lyrics to Limelight at a level that most of the outfield can hear. In the beginning I thought it was insane…. as I got to know the man, and yes, the music… I admit I even sang along. Thus beginning the tradition: as the years went by, different music projects, college, changing apartments, changing countries (in my case)… we always found time to cruise around in his car with 2112 or Roll the Bones playing, singing along at the tops of our lungs of course. While at first I may have found the man and especially the band unorthodox, the more i travelled, the more I missed my friend, and the more I longed to hear Rush… which had become like an old friend. A reminder of great times past and of how much I look forward to seeing him again.

As so of course it figures that around the bicyclemark ranch, my dear roomate and I have discovered this phenemenon in common. The friend who loves Rush, and the smile it brings to remember those times, listening to The Trees and crusing around some suburban american town. We’ve even become obesessed with finding a copy of the string quartet tribute to Rush, exit stage left, just to have a laugh and enjoy the odd charm that those classic songs bring.

And so it goes. No matter where I go, or how long it’s been, I hear Closer to the Heart and I’m transported back in time. More importantly; I remember a friendship that has survived many miles and many years, and I smile when I picture – a month from now – being back in that car with that music, and of course – the World’s Biggest Rush fan.

How a Nation Should Use A Surplus

Anytime you start to compare Canada and the United States, you always get those guys wrapped in the flag who denounce Canada as weak and proclaim their health system as falling apart and hated. And then you might hear a Canadian defend his/her health system and their extremely positive international image. As much as I hate to attract those dam people, I have to talk about the Canadian government’s budget surplus and how I believe they are acting as a prime example of how a stable, mature, and future oriented government SHOULD use their budget surplus. 13.4 billion canadian clams per year is roughly what we’re talking aboot, by the way.

So let’s see, how is the prime minister’s government planning to use it’s surplus:

  1. Personal Taxcuts, specifically including a cut for the lowest income brackets.
  2. Investment in education (brilliant idea not often followed by some!), for research and student funding (39 billion over 6 years)
  3. And for all ye maple syrup producers, a reduction in the corporate tax rate

And actually, before any of those, the biggest reason the Canadian government deserves a bit of respect is that they are one of the very few nations in the world that can balance a budget. Take note EU with your broken budgets, and US with your drunken spending on weapons of mass destruction distraction.